AuthorTopic: Favourite Year (Read 1549 times)

I just made a project with albums that I've yet heard from each year (1962-2012) and though I've always thought about 1967 being the absolute peak of music, I discovered that '68 is the year from which I've heard the most albums (that I really enjoy).

Here's the albums I've heard from '68 ranked :

01.The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society (my 4th all time favourite record)02.The Beatles - White Album (well, we all know this one)03.The Beach Boys - Friends (top 5 Beach Boys album)04.The Doors - Waiting For The Sun (my favourite record from The Doors - I like every song here)05.The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow (maybe a bit too eccentric for my taste - but very interesting - 'She Says Good Morning' is an all time classic)06.Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends (my 2nd favourite Simon & Garfunkel album besides 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' - 'America' is wonderful)07.Pink Floyd - A Saucerful Of Secrets (an okay Pink Floyd early album with no really weak points)

1965 is my favourite year. Maybe it didn't have a big number of great albums (Help!, Rubber Soul, Mr. Tambourine Man, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Having A Rave Up, My Generation, Out Of Our Heads, Today and not much more), but many essential songs that were a fundamental base for rock music appeared that year. Just to name some:

1965 is my favourite year. Maybe it didn't have a big number of great albums (Help!, Rubber Soul, Mr. Tambourine Man, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Having A Rave Up, My Generation, Out Of Our Heads, Today and not much more), but many essential songs that were a fundamental base for rock music appeared that year. Just to name some: "Ticket To Ride", "Help!", "Yesterday", "We Can Work It Out", "Day Tripper", "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man", "Michelle" and "In My Life" by the Beatles; "Mr. Tambourine Man", "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by the Byrds; "My Generation" by the Who; "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones; "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)", "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Help Me, Rhonda" and "California Girls" by the Beach Boys; "Tired Of Waiting For You" and "See My Friends" by the Kinks; "For Your Love" and "Heart Full Of Soul" by the Yardbirds; "Tell Her No" by the Zombies; "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan; "The Sound Of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel; etc.

That's an interesting choice, Hombre. I think '65 was really a year of transition because it was kind of the last year where the bands were putting their best efforts into singles, not albums. From '66 (and even late '65) on, the bands tried to come up with much better and more complete albums, which worked as a whole (hence the concepts etc.)

You can see a big leap forward for many bands like The Beatles (with 'Rubber Soul', finally recording an album with no really fillers and full of new ideas) and The Beach Boys (with 'Today!', Brian finally creating the songs and arrangements he was put on earth to do - especially with the 2nd side of Today and 'California Girls') etc.

Also, I'd like to add 'Odessey and Oracle' by The Zombies to my '68 albums list since I've listening and enjoying it a whole lot later. I've read your microscope, Hombre, while searching for some old post, so I decided to give the album a try. Your (and other members') little notes have been very helpful and I must say, the album is incredibly awesome.

'Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) is my favourite song off of the whole album. It's just mind-blowing. Shivers, goosebumps and some time needed to get myself togheter were experienced during the first time I heard it. The riff in 'Beechwood Park' is superb and 'A Rose For Emily', 'I Want Her, She Wants Me' are the other very favourites of mine. Really, really essential stuff.

That's an interesting choice, Hombre. I think '65 was really a year of transition because it was kind of the last year where the bands were putting their best efforts into singles, not albums. From '66 (and even late '65) on, the bands tried to come up with much better and more complete albums, which worked as a whole (hence the concepts etc.)

You can see a big leap forward for many bands like The Beatles (with 'Rubber Soul', finally recording an album with no really fillers and full of new ideas) and The Beach Boys (with 'Today!', Brian finally creating the songs and arrangements he was put on earth to do - especially with the 2nd side of Today and 'California Girls') etc.

That's true, the album as a piece of art by itself was yet to come in 1965 (actually Rubber Soul may be the first record that could be named like that). But on the other hand, more attention was paid on individual songs at that point, that's why we get a huge number of first rate singles. I must say that I'm more a song-guy than an album-guy, I enjoy more a song as an individual unit than as an integrated part of an album. That's why I'm not a big fan of concept albums; I think the expansion of creativity on albums meant a reduction of creativity on individual songs. As it is said, if you cover much, you press little. So I prefer an album with several classics and some fillers over a consistent concept album with no many memorable songs.

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Also, I'd like to add 'Odessey and Oracle' by The Zombies to my '68 albums list since I've listening and enjoying it a whole lot later. I've read your microscope, Hombre, while searching for some old post, so I decided to give the album a try. Your (and other members') little notes have been very helpful and I must say, the album is incredibly awesome.

'Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) is my favourite song off of the whole album. It's just mind-blowing. Shivers, goosebumps and some time needed to get myself togheter were experienced during the first time I heard it. The riff in 'Beechwood Park' is superb and 'A Rose For Emily', 'I Want Her, She Wants Me' are the other very favourites of mine. Really, really essential stuff.

I'm glad that you liked that Zombies' record. Odessey And Oracle is easily my favourite non-Beatles album (maybe only beaten by Rubber Soul and Revolver). "Butcher's Tale" was always one of my favourite songs as well, though most people seem to dislike it because it's quite weird and doesn't sound like the rest of the album. I think that record is a good example of favouring the individual songs over the album as a whole.

That's true, the album as a piece of art by itself was yet to come in 1965 (actually Rubber Soul may be the first record that could be named like that). But on the other hand, more attention was paid on individual songs at that point, that's why we get a huge number of first rate singles. I must say that I'm more a song-guy than an album-guy, I enjoy more a song as an individual unit than as an integrated part of an album. That's why I'm not a big fan of concept albums; I think the expansion of creativity on albums meant a reduction of creativity on individual songs. As it is said, if you cover much, you press little. So I prefer an album with several classics and some fillers over a consistent concept album with no many memorable songs.

That is very true, but in defense of the whole concept albums thing, I'd like to point out that people who succeed in creating an atmosphere of some kind and give the album some sort of a feeling that gets passed from song to song do deserve some points. It's not really an easy thing to do.

I like more "primitive" and simpler concepts or concepts that are so loose that the album falls into the "thematic album" kind of thing, instead of the "concept album" thing. Things like 'Pet Sounds', 'Village Green Preservation Society' and even 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'. All of those have a specific theme (not a concept, really) and a certain feeling that makes you enjoy them from beginning to end. I don't really like complicated concepts, that tend to expand on double albums, or that go political, only if they are exclusively from my very favourite bands.

That is very true, but in defense of the whole concept albums thing, I'd like to point out that people who succeed in creating an atmosphere of some kind and give the album some sort of a feeling that gets passed from song to song do deserve some points. It's not really an easy thing to do.

I like more "primitive" and simpler concepts or concepts that are so loose that the album falls into the "thematic album" kind of thing, instead of the "concept album" thing. Things like 'Pet Sounds', 'Village Green Preservation Society' and even 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'. All of those have a specific theme (not a concept, really) and a certain feeling that makes you enjoy them from beginning to end. I don't really like complicated concepts, that tend to expand on double albums, or that go political, only if they are exclusively from my very favourite bands.

Of course, I'm not dismissing those who can create a good concept album, it's just that I focus more on individual songs. For example, I really love the Who's Tommy and Quadrophenia, but that's more because of great tracks like "The Acid Queen", "Pinball Wizard", "I'm Free", "We're Not Gonna Take It", "The Real Me", "5:15" and "Love Reign O'er Me" than because of the conceptual theme.

I also like those simpler concepts, where the song is still the main force of the record and not the concept.

Of course, I'm not dismissing those who can create a good concept album, it's just that I focus more on individual songs. For example, I really love the Who's Tommy and Quadrophenia, but that's more because of great tracks like "The Acid Queen", "Pinball Wizard", "I'm Free", "We're Not Gonna Take It", "The Real Me", "5:15" and "Love Reign O'er Me" than because of the conceptual theme.

That's cool, I'm really trying to get into The Who right now. I own 'Who's Next' and 'Tommy', but I've only got the chance to listen to the former and I like it. This video of them playing 'My Generation' really did it for me. I just love how they play it, Pete with his rolling hand thing, Keith who keeps throwing his sticks in the air and those awesome bass licks by John. Not to mention the end, where they end up smashing their instruments which causes an explosion...

That's cool, I'm really trying to get into The Who right now. I own 'Who's Next' and 'Tommy', but I've only got the chance to listen to the former and I like it. This video of them playing 'My Generation' really did it for me. I just love how they play it, Pete with his rolling hand thing, Keith who keeps throwing his sticks in the air and those awesome bass licks by John. Not to mention the end, where they end up smashing their instruments which causes an explosion...

Try to check out The Who Sell Out (1967) and Quadrophenia (1973) as well, they're the other very important albums of the band. The former is the Who at their psychedelic stage, including the masterpiece "I Can See For Miles", and the latter is their second rock opera (I prefer Tommy but I must say that Quadrophenia has awesome playing by each member). Then if you're wild about the band, look for My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966), The Who By Numbers (1975) and Who Are You (1978) (their last great work in my opinion). You will also need some greatest hits record including a good number of non-album singles, like "I Can't Explain", "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", "Substitute", "I'm A Boy", "Happy Jack", "Pictures Of Lily", "Magic Bus", etc., all essential stuff.